


Crow's Nest

by pidgeonpostal



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cursed!Qrow, Dubious descriptions of sailing, Fisherman!Clover, Let Yang Xiao Long Say Fuck, M/M, Minor Inclusion of Major Characters, Rated for swearing and smooching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27273337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pidgeonpostal/pseuds/pidgeonpostal
Summary: Clover is a fisherman in the village of Vale, blessed with good catch after saving a merperson from a sea monster that one time, you know how it is. So he always has fish to sell, and even some to give away to the crow that spends a lot of time on the docks terrorizing seagulls and the occasional knight, presumably for fun. They work out something of an agreement. Clover brings food, and the crow keeps the seagulls from shitting on his head, because not even good luck can avoid that.[Qrow is cursed. Clover helps, falls in love, and gets in his own way. This entire thing started as just thinking about curses, and ended by deciding I wanted to include a meme in the sixth-to-last paragraph. I regret nothing.]
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 20
Kudos: 90





	1. Meet-Cute

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very fond of Gail Carson Levine's and Patricia C. Wrede's style of fantasy, where magic can be both fantastical and incredibly mundane/commonplace, so this is trying to emulate that a bit.
> 
> Also I have done very little sailing, all sailing knowledge in this fic is very dubious.

Clover had had some strange things happen to him since being bestowed with good luck. The first of course, had been being kissed by a merperson, since that was apparently the way such blessings worked. And then there was the recovery, and the house that suddenly was available in Vale, and earning a favor from Ozpin himself. Really, his life had been a long string of happy coincidences since it happened. But befriending the crow that terrorized the town’s seagulls had to be the strangest.

He’d heard crows were smart, so perhaps it was less that he had good luck with animals and more that he and the crow had come to a business arrangement. Clover offered the crow bits and pieces whenever he had fish to spare, and the crow in return kept seagulls from shitting on his head. Although, Clover admitted, that did seem to be more a side effect of the crow keeping seagulls as far away from Clover as it could, possibly to ensure its source of food wasn’t shared. Clover didn’t mind.

At some point, the crow took to perching on his shoulder while he tied his boat to the dock, while he prepared fish for selling, and while he explained to Winter, once again, that he was  _ retired, _ that James had best find a new captain. He’d make a boat joke, she’d scowl, and be off again.

This time, something different happened. She sighed. “You know he’s going to keep sending me out here to ask you.”

“Yeah,” Clover smiled. “It’s good to see you. My answer is still no.”

Winter nodded, but didn’t smile back. That wasn’t who she was. She didn’t like his answer, but she’d respect it.

The crow cawed loudly at her retreating back. It almost sounded like laughter.

“Hey,” Clover turned to give the crow a Look. The crow stared haughtily right back. “She’s doing her job. Not her fault James refuses to give up.”

The crow cawed again and flew up to the boom of his fishing boat.

“Don’t pout, I’m right. And if you stay up there you’ll have to go out to sea with me. Didn’t think crows were sea birds.”

The crow strutted over to the mast and pecked at the charm Ozpin had given him in exchange for being able to “study” his luck, which mostly involved Clover standing in a circle for a few hours. The little metal clover pinned to the mast seemed to amplify his good luck, so Clover forgave him for being a little on the nose about what it looked like.

It also had the side effect most magical items had, which was that it was very sturdy, so even though the crow looked intent on denting it, Clover didn’t worry. “Nice, isn’t it?” he told the bird while he prepared to set sail. “Helps with the catch.”

He cast off and maneuvered the boat gently out of the docks. The crow stayed. “Have it your way.” Clover shrugged.

They sailed out to one of Clover’s favorite spots, lined up between the shore and a small island just to the north, barely more than a jagged hill rising from the waves. It got colder the further out they got, and the crow fluffed its feathers. Clover couldn’t help but laugh. It was adorable, but also had that crow air of indignance. How  _ dare _ it be cold?

“I warned you!” Clover shouted over the waves. And then another strange thing happened.

The crow  _ dove _ at him, a flurry of wings and squawking.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?”

Clover tried to take a few steps back, but the crow wasn’t  _ hurting _ him necessarily, just buffeting him with its feathers and clawing at his jacket. Clover felt a sharp tug and wondered if he was going to lose a button. But the crow calmed down, and when Clover inspected the jacket, all buttons were intact.

There was also a beak and a pair of indignant eyes glaring at him from inside his lapel.

“You’re kidding me.”

The crow cawed again, and…Clover didn’t have a word that wasn’t  _ snuggled. _ The crow snuggled into his jacket.

“...Fine. But don’t shit on my shirt.”

The crow warbled quietly.  _ No promises, _ Clover translated. He sighed.

He spent the day with a crow in his jacket, checking the lines, casting again when they found something. A decent catch today, nothing special. Clover lost himself in the routine, humming to himself and occasionally scratching the crow’s head, which the crow seemed to enjoy. They worked late into the afternoon, until the sun began to set.

Clover was so engrossed he didn’t see the storm until it was too late.

It was the crow, actually, who noticed first, and cawed loudly until Clover paid attention. “What—” Clover followed the crow’s gaze and saw the first lightning strike, counting the seconds until the thunder rolled over them. Not far enough. Not nearly far enough.

Clover calculated. They wouldn’t outrun it fast enough to get to shore. He looked north, to the island. He’s gone to explore it before, there was an inlet they could shelter in. He pulled his lines in and turned to catch the wind.

The crow was not having it. It fidgeted, turning itself around and trying to stretch its wings in his jacket. Clover reached in. “Alright, if you want out that ba—ow!”

The crow had pecked him.

Clover gave up. He steered his boat to the island with a crow throwing a fit in his jacket and lightning striking ever closer behind them. They made it, soaked through, one of them cursing, the other squawking—well, probably the crow version of cursing—but they made it to the sheltered inlet Clover had found before. The rocks around them blocked a decent amount of the rain, and the waters were calm here. The boom of thunder sounded far off again.

Night had fallen during their dash, and Clover scrambled for his lantern. The crow, finally fed up with him it seemed, squirmed out of his jacket and flopped to the floor.

Clover finally found his lantern at the bottom of a pile of blankets that had slid across the floor, and lit it with shaking wet fingers. He wasn’t usually bothered by the cold, but being wet made it much worse. He envied the crow its feathers. “How are you doing, little crow?”

The crow squawked furiously. It had fluffed its feathers to try and shake the water off and was approximately round.

Clover couldn’t help it. Between the adrenaline and the angry pile of feathers glaring up at him, it was too much for one night. He fell into a fit of giggles at the bottom of his boat, looking up at the stars.

“I promise, it’s not always this exciting,” he said to the crow as he wiped away tears of laughter. “The storm should pass soon. We can head back then.”

There was the sound of little talons on wood, and the crow appeared at the edge of his vision. Intelligent red eyes surveyed him, the crow’s head twitching this way and that.

“Hello there. You’re probably cold too, hang on.” Clover pulled out an oiled cloth he kept for rainstorms and pulled it over his head to block out the rain, then fished out a blanket for himself and a knitted cap he turned upside down and put on the floor next to him. The crow eyed it suspiciously, before grabbing it, throwing it down in Clover’s lap, and making itself at home.

“Wonder if this is what having a dog is like,” Clover mumbled. The crow warbled softly, a soft contented noise. “Yeah. Me too.”

He must have dozed off. The rain had stopped the next time he looked up, but the crow was gone. Clover looked around the boat, now illuminated by moonlight, but couldn’t see any sign of the bird itself. It had, however, left an astonishing amount of feathers. Clover felt a pang of sadness. It had just been a bird, but it had been nice to have a companion.

Suddenly, a huge splash rocked the boat, followed by a gasp and the unmistakable sound of someone choking on water. Clover looked over and saw a pale hand grasp the edge of the boat.

Another merperson? No, merpeople breathed water, this was someone drowning—

He’d figure it out later. Clover scrambled to the edge just as the second hand appeared, and grabbed both. “Hang on!” He hauled them into the boat, but the moment they were in they slipped from his hands and ran to the other end of the boat.

“Don’t come closer!” they shouted.

Clover stared. There was a man in his boat, thin and shivering and completely naked. He looked at Clover with a kind of wide-eyed fear that hurt Clover to even see. He hunched over himself, as small as possible at the very tip of the boat, as far away from Clover as he could get without falling into the sea again.

“How did you—”

The man let out a pained noise, and something rippled over his skin. Clover couldn’t see it from this distance in the night, but it looked like it hurt him. He looked up, red eyes wild and searching until they focused on the mast.

“Don’t move,” the man said, and leapt over to the mast where Ozpin’s charm hung, and tore it off. His movements were quick, but he had to get a lot closer to Clover to do it, and Clover got a better look at the thing on his skin.

Feathers grew out of his forearms and up his shoulders, feathers that grew and melted back into his skin as he grabbed the charm and retreated again. He let out a deep sigh, and held the charm to his chest. He sat with his knees curled up, most of his body hidden from Clover, but when he looked up, the light caught his eyes. Familiar eyes.

“Gods,” Clover whispered. “You’re the crow.”

The man’s eyes widened impossibly, before he scowled and looked away. “Expecting a princess?”

“What? No! Just, surprised. Although, maybe not that surprised.” Clover scratched at the back of his neck. “I knew crows were smart, but you seemed…different.”

The man let out a broken laugh. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“How did—” Clover shook his head. “First, I’m Clover, and I can’t keep calling you ‘the crow’ in my head. What’s your name?”

“Ha!” Another laugh, but this time the man threw his head back and truly cackled, until he had to cough and catch his breath. “Oh, you’ll like this one. ‘Qrow,’ with a Q. So, keep doing what you’re doing.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Qrow shrugged. “Witches have a pretty fucked up sense of humor.” His shrug turned into a shiver.

Clover reached around himself for another blanket and stood up. “Here—”

“Stay back!” The fear was back in Qrow’s eyes.

Clover froze, still standing with the blanket. “You’ll freeze to death.”

“Just…throw it to the center. And step back.”

“Why?”

“Can we talk about this after I’m not freezing my ass off?”

Clover couldn’t argue with that. He leaned forward and tossed the blanket as far as he could, before stepping back as far as he could go and sitting down. Qrow quickly darted forward and wrapped the blanket around himself. Clover noticed he was still gripping the charm tightly.

“So, I take it you’re cursed? Why can’t I come near you?”

Qrow sat back down with a ragged sigh. “Yes. And that’s why. I’m cursed to—” Qrow made a half-hearted gesture with one hand of flapping wings. “They’re bad omens, legends go, and bring bad luck, so that’s what I do. Bad things happen around me. Storm was probably me, too. And if something happens to you out here, it’ll be on me.”

Clover smiled.

“What’s so funny, flower boy?” Qrow’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s just—I had a run in with a merperson, some years back. Helped them with a problem. They appreciated it. So now, I’m lucky. Put together we should be at about even odds for storms.”

Qrow blinked. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

“No, really!” Clover couldn’t help laughing. And he thought  _ before _ that this was the strangest night of his life. “It’s been really helpful, as a fisherman, but I remember my luck before it. Seems like while you’re around I’ll just be back to normal. It’s safe, really.”

Qrow was looking down at his palm, at the clover leaf pin. “Who gave this to you?”

“The enchanter in town, Ozpin.”

Qrow nodded. “That might do it.” He counted on his fingers. “A luck blessing, an Ozpin charm, an ocean of moving water and a full moon.” He gestured up at the sky with four fingers. “Enough for a temporary break. That must be why I’m like this.”

“Human?”

Qrow nodded.

“How long have you…been a crow?”

Qrow frowned and was silent for a minute. “A long time. It’s hard to remember things from being a crow. I know you talk to me, but I don’t remember what you say. But, when I was human, before…this…Patch had just had the harvest festival. A good one, the two years before had been dry and harsh.”

Oh,  _ gods. _ Clover remembered that drought. “Qrow, that drought was five years ago.”

Qrow recoiled as if struck. “Five?  _ Fuck.” _ He scratched at his hair. “That’s…my nieces, they were eleven and fourteen, they’d be…Yang would…”

“I’m sorry.”

_ “Shut up.” _

Clover did. He busied himself tidying the things he could reach, looking out at the sky and pretending not to hear the sobs from the other end of the boat. He forced himself to stay put, to stay out of reach and let Qrow mourn lost time. Qrow didn’t want to be touched; Clover would respect that.

At length, Qrow spoke again. “So. You know Ozpin.”

“Not well, but yes. Could he help you?”

“Maybe. Tomorrow, will you take me to him? Explain this?”

“Yes!” Clover promised as emphatically as he could. “And when it’s lifted, I can take you to Patch. It’s not far from here.”

“Hah. Dream big.” Qrow looked out to the horizon. “I…I don’t think I’m going to hold out much longer.” He shuddered, and the feathers rippled over his skin again. “If you have any more questions, ask ‘em now.”

“Seems like it’s more your time to ask questions, if you want.”

Qrow shook his head. “That’s enough to think about for one night. Shoot.”

Clover thought carefully. “What’s your favorite food?”

Qrow startled. “Uh. Sandwiches?”

Vague, but he could work with that. “I’ll bring some, next time. If Ozpin needs some time, I mean,” he added quickly. “We can keep coming out here. But if it’s easy to lift the curse, you can find one yourself.”

Qrow smiled, an actual, soft smile that reached the corner of his eyes. “I’d like that,” he said. Then he flinched, dropped the charm, and a crow perched on the edge of the boat. Qrow grabbed the charm in his beak and hopped over to Clover. He pressed the pin into Clover’s jacket, gently.

“We’ll take it with us,” Clover agreed, and pinned it to his jacket. “You know, it’s actually gotten pretty nice out here. What do you say to a night at sea?”

Qrow warbled indignantly.

“Yeah, okay. I’m pretty soaked, too. Storm’s blown over, let’s head home.”

Clover sailed carefully through the night back to shore with Qrow on his shoulder. The fish would keep until the next day, thanks to a ridiculously expensive box he’d had Ozpin enchant that had been worth every penny, so he docked the boat and made his way to the small house up the cliff where he lived. After a few minutes of walking on land, he turned to see that Qrow had tucked his head into his side and gone to sleep on his shoulder. Clover smiled. Inside the house, he carefully slid Qrow into his hands and set up another of his hats on the table, and settled Qrow in it. “Goodnight, Qrow.”


	2. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clover leaves a message. Qrow has a sandwich. After a brief sailing interlude, Yang says "fuck," because I think she absolutely would.

The next morning, before returning to the boat, Clover trekked down the hill to where a tall cabin had been built at the edge of the wood. Even in the predawn light, smoke rose from its chimney, and the water wheel built on its side was turning merrily, despite having no river to turn it.

“This is it, Qrow. Ozpin’s house.”

Qrow cawed loudly.

Clover had woken the bird up carrying him out of the house, and there had been a moment where Qrow, awake in a new place, had protested, but after talking to him calmly for a few minutes, Qrow seemed to remember. Clover had a better handle on what Qrow’s situation seemed to be now. He could understand, and respond in his own way, but long responses and things like reading or writing were too much for the bird form to reasonably handle. So Clover stuck to talking about the weather, about recent goings on in Vale, and trying to figure out what in the world Qrow had meant by sandwiches. So far, he’d eliminated poultry and tomatoes and had an idea of where he could get cured beef and cheese to suit the man’s tastes.

He walked up to Ozpin’s door and knocked. Five minutes later, he knocked again. And again, five minutes after that. “Strange. Smoke’s going, wheel’s going, usually means Ozpin’s home.”

_ “Hello!” _ said Ozpin’s voice.

Clover whipped around, but saw no one. “Ozpin?”

_ “If you are hearing this, you are quite persistent! Unfortunately, I am not home at the moment—” _

Clover groaned. Qrow cawed again.

_ “—but your presence has been acknowledged and will be passed on to me, wherever I might be! If you wish to tell me anything, simply speak and your message will be transferred as well.” _ There was a soft  _ ding, _ and then the voice went quiet again.

“Uh, Ozpin?” Clover sighed. “Alright. Well, this is Qrow. I mean, he’s a crow, but that’s also his name. He was cursed, and managed to lift it for a bit with your charm and some luck—”

Qrow cawed  _ directly _ into his ear.

“It’s true though,” Clover smirked at Qrow. “But we could use your help, Ozpin. It didn’t stick. So, when you get back, let me know? I’ll look out for him in the meantime. Uh, thanks.”

He stood awkwardly on Ozpin’s doorstep. “So do you think there’s another cue to say it’s been sent, or…?”

Qrow grumbled.

“Yeah, should probably just leave. He’ll be back,” Clover said with more confidence than he had. Ozpin had sort of just…appeared in Vale, some time ago. Clover wouldn’t have been terribly surprised if he had also just left. The house had appeared when Ozpin did, though, so Clover assumed that if he were  _ really _ gone, he would have taken the house.

* * *

“Gods, this is amazing.”

“Glad you like it.”

Qrow sat closer this time, more towards the center of the boat, in a spare set of clothes Clover had brought that were about the right length, if designed for someone a bit broader, the charm pinned to his shirt. Clover sat where he had before, at the back of the boat, giving Qrow his choice of space as he ate what was presumably his first human meal in five years. Clover, unsure of how food worked between the two of Qrow’s bodies, pulled out a second sandwich and offered it up as soon as Qrow finished the first. Qrow snatched it from his hand immediately, and then looked uncomfortable.

“Uh, sorry. Force of habit.”

_ Crows are scavengers, _ Clover remembered. “It’s fine. Figured you might want a few so I packed a bunch.”

“Thanks,” Qrow said around a mouthful of sandwich. He shuddered, but the feathers didn’t appear on his skin. He hadn’t been human for very long yet, Clover figured that he had another half hour, judging from how long Qrow had lasted the night before. He didn’t fully understand, but he knew it took Qrow considerable effort, even with the other factors at play.

Hm. “Would it help if we were further out to sea, you think?”

“Help with what?”

“The change,” Clover said. “It sounded like you had to fight to stay like this. You mentioned the ocean was a part of being able to break it. We could go further out, if it would help.”

Qrow shook his head. “If that were all, this would have happened earlier. I think I’m getting as much from that as I could be, the rest is moonlight, Ozpin, and you.” He frowned, deep in thought, and then looked up at Clover. “Scoot over.”

Clover did. Qrow settled in next to him and sighed contentedly. “Yeah. Your aura fades out after…probably a boat length or so. Same with the pin. It helps most if I’m right next to the source.”

“Oh.” The pieces clicked into place in Clover’s mind. “That’s why you started hanging around me.”

“Maybe. But I remember you also had food, and for the bird, that’s enough.” Qrow shivered. Clover grabbed another blanket and threw it over his shoulders. Qrow was all long limbs and no body fat, and if he wasn’t careful that was going to kill him out here. Clover made a note to bring some extra jackets next time.

“How are you so  _ warm, _ you’re not even wearing sleeves,” Qrow mumbled. He leaned into Clover’s side, flush with his arm and letting his head rest against Clover’s shoulder.

Clover shrugged, careful not to jostle him. “I’m Atlesian, we’re used to the cold.”

“I’ve known Atlesians before. Jimmy still wore a damn jacket. You’re something else.”

“You knew Ozpin too, right?”

“Yeah, listen, uh.” Qrow wouldn’t meet Clover’s eyes. “That part’s fuzzy, what happened at his house?”

Clover explained the message, and Qrow swore.

“That’s a failsafe. It probably got to him, but the fact that it triggered means he’s indisposed. Might not be back for a while. He said this might happen.”

“What might happen?”

“One of Ozpin’s secrets, sorry. Let’s just say, he’s off finding himself. Might take him a while to come back. It’s never happened while I’ve been around, but might be months. You mentioned Patch wasn’t far?”

Clover frowned. Who was Qrow that he was privy to Ozpin’s secrets? But Qrow shuddered again, and feathers crept in along his neck. He might not have much more time tonight. “Yeah, few days of travel, if the wind is good. Do you want to go now?”

“Not right away,” Qrow said quickly. “I’m still learning how to hold form like this. But, if I can last most of a night, it would be nice to see them. But only if you have the time.”

Clover shrugged. “Got nothing else to do. So, any ideas on what else might help you stay like this for longer? We’ve got the charm, the ocean, moon phase, proximity to me, anything else?”

“Short of stealing things from Ozpin’s house, which I don’t recommend, that’s sort of the full list. Sandwiches help. Talking, I think. Human things.”

Clover could do that. “Tell me about Patch, then. There’s a school there too, right?”

“Yeah, actually used to teach there…”

So Clover kept talking to Qrow, asking about Patch, about Signal, and, when it felt like Qrow wouldn’t mind, about his nieces. Ruby and Yang took up a full hour, just stories of them growing up, and Clover didn’t see a single feather. Qrow even laughed at his own stories. He looked…happy.

“Ah. But that was a while ago.” Qrow looked down and flinched.

Shit. Qrow was going to turn back soon. “You’ll see them again soon. Ruby and Yang and Tai. We’ve already been talking way longer than last night. A few hours, at least. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go.”

“Yeah,” Qrow said, but his voice cracked. “Might need to tap out here for the night, though. Pretty tired.”

“Until tomorrow, then?”

Qrow nodded against his shoulder. He looked to be having trouble keeping his eyes open. “Tomorrow. ‘Night Cloves.”

“Cloves?” Clover smiled. “I like it.”

In the next minute, Qrow’s eyes closed and his breathing evened out, but Clover felt his heartbeat pick up. Just as he started to worry, Qrow jolted in his sleep, and the next moment the crow was curled up against Clover’s hip.

Well. It was a much calmer night, and the gentle rocking of the boat was soothing. Clover scooped Qrow up into his arms, and laid back for a night of sleep.

* * *

Qrow did get better over the next few weeks, a lot better. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Clover.

“Eyes up, Lucky Charm!”

Clover turned to see the boom swinging towards him and ducked just in time. Qrow grinned wildly at him.

After discovering that just the act of  _ doing _ things could help him focus on staying human, Qrow demanded to learn how to help sail the boat. He couldn’t get out of Clover’s aura while on it, he explained, so as long as they didn’t stay at opposite ends the whole time, it would be close enough. And the act of sailing did seem to help him. Qrow was  _ alive _ in a way he hadn’t been before, his eyes alight and creases forming at the corners when he smiled. Smirked, really. Qrow had an excellent smirk, and an even better laugh.

Which was the sort of detail Clover was noticing now, the kind of detail that made him forget to duck automatically when the sail swung around to catch the wind. He  _ liked _ Qrow, which was wholly inappropriate, because while in any other context it would be worth a shot, Qrow was dependent on him and his luck right now. Qrow needed him, and that was different than wanting him.

So. Qrow was doing great, and Clover was doing just fine. He was glad to have met Qrow, glad to be able to help, and that was where his train of thought ended. Promise.

They would sail through a portion of the night, maybe get a bit of fishing in, more for fun than for selling, and when Qrow got tired, they’d…Clover didn’t have a word that wasn’t  _ snuggled. _ Like with his bird form, though this time Qrow was wearing Clover’s spare jacket rather than holed up inside the one Clover was currently wearing. Qrow snuggled close to Clover’s warmth and Clover’s luck, and Clover tried very, very hard not to want more.

“I think I’m ready. To go see the kids,” Qrow said, his face half smushed into Clover’s side. “Ozpin’s still not back, and I’m not really holding out hope for it soon. This seems to work, and it’s getting easier. I could see them for most of the night. And it’ll be a full moon again soon.”

“I’ll start packing for the trip tomorrow,” Clover said, absent-mindedly running his fingers through Qrow’s hair, a stupid indulgence that he only allowed because Qrow seemed to enjoy it as a human almost as much as in bird form.

“Thanks, Cloves.”

“Any time.”

“No.” Qrow groaned. “Not just—you didn’t have to do all this. I get that. But you did. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”

“You’ll see your nieces soon, Qrow.”

“That too but—” Qrow sighed. “Yeah, fine. Hey, I’m fading again, tell me about that time you saved a merperson from certain death and got lucky.”

The scar on Clover’s chest ached. “Not much to talk about. They got chased out here by a sea dragon—”

“You fought a  _ sea dragon?” _

“Not well,” Clover winced. His hand reflexively came up to scratch at his chest. “It was touch-and-go for a bit, but we managed to make it not worth hunting us anymore.”

Qrow’s eyes followed the movement. His eyes were actually far less red than Clover initially thought. They were softer than that, a warmer and gentler red, like sunsets. Clover loved to look at them.

“Go on.”

“What?”

“So you fought off a sea dragon. And they just made you lucky?”

“I wasn’t terribly conscious at the time, but essentially, yes,” Clover shrugged. “Really, it was that luck that saved my life. The fact that it’s kept going is just a bonus.”

“You were hit?”

Clover nodded. When he started again, his voice was quieter. “Took a claw through the chest.”

Qrow shivered. “Damn. Glad you’re here.”

Clover’s smile was just a bit too fragile for his liking. “Yeah, wouldn’t have been able to un-curse you like this if it hadn’t happened.”

“No,” Qrow sighed. “You, specifically. They picked a good one to make lucky.”

Oh. “Yeah, it’s useful.”

“Still not getting it, Cloves,” Qrow said, but his words were slurring together and his eyes were closing. Clover hoped he was far gone enough to not notice how Clover’s heart jumped when Qrow called him  _ Cloves. _ “Atlas types. Everything gotta be  _ useful…” _

And with that, he was a bird again.

Clover spent the next day preparing what they needed to make the trip, mostly food and some extra gear. At around noon, Qrow stole his pin from his jacket, alighted on his one chair, and suddenly  _ human Qrow was sitting in his house. _

“Good. Wasn’t sure. This worked.” Qrow spoke through gritted teeth, breathing hard. “Just realized. If I can’t…they need to know you’re the real deal. Got any paper?”

Clover found paper and charcoal, and Qrow scribbled something down before folding it up and addressing it “TO PIPSQUEAK.” He held it out in a white-knuckle grip for Clover to take.

“Keep it dry. I’ll tell you who to give it to later.” Qrow collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, and then the crow form was curled up for a nap on his table. Clover let him be while he packed, making sure to wrap the note up in waterproof canvas before he returned to the boat.

They set off in the evening. Clover figured since the journey would take a few days, there wasn’t much sense in postponing. He was used to sleeping where he could, and Qrow knew enough about sailing that he could probably sail for a few hours while Clover napped.

But Qrow didn’t change form that night. Tired out from changing at noon, Clover assumed. He let Qrow make himself at home in his jacket again, and smiled at the memory of that first night.

“That was pretty impressive, you know. Changing in daylight like that,” Clover said.

Qrow warbled from his place in Clover’s lapel.

“I know, took a lot out of you. But really. That’s progress. Pretty soon you won’t need me—hey!”

Qrow had pecked him again.

“What is it with you and being in my jacket that makes you so grumpy,” Clover mumbled. “Alright, I’ll leave you be.”

Clover sailed the boat on his own for most of the night, stopping only when it seemed calm enough to doze off for a few hours. Qrow stayed in his jacket the whole time, but didn’t peck him again. If anything, he seemed to snuggle closer, and warbled in a not-unhappy way a few times.

Another day of sailing passed. They were making decent headway, though the wind could have been better. Clover kept aiming for where he knew Patch would be. “Say, Qrow, if you’re up for it tonight, I realize I don’t actually know  _ where _ on Patch we’re headed. A better description would help. With good wind, we might see it tomorrow.”

Qrow chirped. That night, he managed to be human again, but only for a little while. “Took more out of me than I thought,” Qrow said sullenly. Like he was  _ disappointed _ in himself.

“Qrow. The fact that you can do this at all is incredible. It’s fine. If you want, we can take our time around Patch and you can take tomorrow night off again, gather your strength for when we dock.”

“Yeah, that might be good.” Qrow explained landmarks and where Clover could leave the ship, and how to get to the house further inland. “Might be easiest if you explain and they’re willing to come out on the boat but if the note isn’t enough, I might be able to handle it on land. Never quite understood the reasoning around bodies of water and magic, but Patch is an island, maybe that’ll be enough.”

“Sure. Who’s the note for, again?”

“Ruby, the youngest. But give it to anyone and they’ll know.”

Time passed a lot more slowly without Qrow being able to talk back the next night, but his presence was calming, and before Clover knew it, he was walking up a sandy path to a log cabin. Qrow was perched on his shoulder, as always, but Clover could feel the talons gripping his shoulder harder than usual.

Qrow was nervous, too.

A man matching Qrow’s description of Taiyang came from around the house. “Hello stranger! What brings you out here?” Taiyang was all smiles, but there was a wariness behind it that Clover understood. You didn’t build a house out here if you wanted people coming by at random. Especially not ex-Atlas officers with large scavenger birds on their shoulders.

“I’m Clover. You must be Taiyang Xiao Long?”

That wariness came out more, and Taiyang frowned. “Might be. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”

“It’s a long story, but I have some proof of it.” Clover held out the note. “It’s from Qrow Branwen. He said you’d know who to give it to.”

Taiyang’s frown turned into a full scowl. It didn’t look right on him, but he radiated danger all the same. “Qrow Branwen is dead.”

Clover held up his hands. “Like I said. Long story—”

Taiyang was fast. Before Clover could blink, the note was out of his hand and Taiyang was back where he had been, looking it over. When he finished, he looked back up at Clover, then slightly to his left to look at Qrow.

“Qrow?”

“He’s cursed,” Clover explained. “He—actually, he didn’t say exactly how it happened.” How had Clover not thought to ask? “But we can break it for a little while. It’s easier at night, on my boat.”

“Dad? Who’s that?”

Two teenagers came out of the house behind Taiyang. One was tall and blonde and looked a lot like him. The other was shorter, with darker hair and wearing a red cape.

“Yang and Ruby?” Clover whispered.

Qrow grabbed Clover’s pin and flew towards them. There was a flash, and for a split second Qrow was human, stumbling to his knees. “Ruby! Yang—”

Clover realized a moment too late that he was too far away, his luck wouldn’t reach Qrow from here. He darted forward, but Qrow had already changed back, once again a bird, now sleeping on the sandy walkway, the pin still clutched in his talons.

Taiyang looked shocked. Ruby and Yang darted forward.

“What the  _ fuck _ was that!?” Yang said as she grabbed Clover by the collar and yanked him down. Ruby stood next to her, glaring at Clover as well.

“It’s—”

“Ruby.”

Ruby looked back at Taiyang. He held out the note. “It’s for you.”

Everyone in this family, Clover was realizing, was combat trained. He’d noticed it in the way Qrow carried himself, but he now saw the same in the rest of his family. Yang seemed ready to punch him at any minute, and Ruby was even faster than Taiyang. In a flash of red she was by his side with the note in her hands.

“‘To Pipsqueak,’” Ruby read. “He…he used to call me that.”

She read the rest of the note in silence, tears welling up in her eyes. She folded it back up and handed it to Yang, then carefully walked over and scooped up the crow. “It’s him. It’s really him.”

Yang read it too, though she tried to hold back her tears. “I’ll believe it when I see it for real. You,” she turned to point at Clover. “Why a boat? Why tonight and not now? Why  _ you?” _

“Qrow could tell you more but, it’s something with how the curse works. Being over water helps, so does moonlight. The charm he’s holding, it’s from Ozpin and I’m…lucky,” he finished lamely.

“Well, you weren’t kidding,” Taiyang sighed. “Sounds like a long story. Let’s get inside, hey?”

* * *

Clover tried and failed to treat the whole thing like a debrief. As soon as he got momentum someone would stop and ask, “Wait, how are you lucky?” or “What do you  _ mean _ you fought a sea dragon?” and then he’d have to explain something else, until most of his life story was out on the table. He managed to avoid answering in detail about his time in Atlas, at least.

“Okay.” Yang slammed her cup down on the table. “One: our uncle isn’t dead. Great! Two: he’s a crow. A literal crow. Probably forever, or until whenever Ozpin comes back, which is questionable.”

“But  _ threeeeee,” _ Ruby leaned into her sister’s space. “They have a workaround! And he can talk to us tonight! And we can talk to him now! Right, Uncle Qrow?”

Qrow squawked from his pile of scarves at the end of the table. Ruby had also poured him a shot glass of water and a bowl of seeds, which he looked conflicted about. Clover suspected the bird form dearly wanted to eat them, while Qrow’s human side wanted to try and have some dignity in front of his nieces. So far, Qrow was winning. Barely.

“One caw means yes!”

“Still can’t believe he survived,” Taiyang shook his head. He seemed to age as Clover told his story, and his expression was softer than before. The edge behind it had vanished.

“What…what happened to him?” Clover asked.

Ruby fidgeted. “It was my—”

_ “Our _ fault.” Yang glared at her sister, but there was no heat behind it. She turned to Clover. “It was back when we were training to be hunters at Signal. We thought we were ready, so we went into the woods on our own. We didn’t know a witch had moved in, and we ended up in her garden. She didn’t like that much.”

“But Uncle Qrow followed us,” Ruby continued. “To make sure we were okay. He fought her and told us to run.”

“We shouldn’t have.” Yang’s voice was dark, and Clover saw her fingers dig into the wooden table. “We could have taken her.”

Qrow  _ screeched _ and flapped over to perch directly in front of Yang. Clover didn’t know crows could be so loud, but Qrow was insistent, and cawed loudly at his niece for a solid minute while she glowered.

Clover had heard so much about these girls, he could guess what Qrow wanted to say. “You were  _ kids. _ Qrow wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to you. All three of you could have ended up cursed.”

Qrow warbled in agreement. With small, quick motions, he hopped closer until he could brush his feathers against Yang’s shoulder, and her expression softened.

“I guess. But we could totally take her now. We’re real hunters now—don’t laugh at me, bird brain!”

Qrow, doing his best bird cackle, only did it louder.

Clover looked outside. “Sun’s starting to set. Moonrise will be soon, we could go—”

Ruby was out the door. “Come on! We’re gonna see Uncle Qrow!”

Four, soon to be five people was a lot for Clover’s little boat, but they managed. It was only when Clover pulled out the clothes he was lending Qrow that he realized he forgot to mention this part. “Could you all turn around? I usually give him a minute to get settled.”

“Wh—oh.” Yang looked at the pants in Clover’s hand and got it. She wheeled her father and sister around. Clover sat with them, and waited.

There was the customary tip in the boat as it accommodated the new weight, and the soft rustling of fabric. Then, “Hey, kiddos.”

_ “Qrow!” _

They nearly tipped Clover’s boat in their haste to hug Qrow. Clover leaned out of the boat the other way to balance them. Everyone was shouting, wrapped around Qrow so tightly Clover could barely see him, but his expression was one of shock and happiness, the kind that brought tears to your eyes. Clover felt his heart soar. Qrow was  _ home. _

The man in question looked over at him and quirked an eyebrow. “Get in here, Cloves.”

Right. It helped to have Clover closer. Clover smiled and let himself be absorbed into the hug, and tried not to think too hard about words like  _ family _ and  _ together _ and  _ Qrow. _


	3. NEWSFLASH ASSHOLE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This fic ends in spells, smooches, and a shitpost.

Qrow stayed up with his family almost the whole night, catching up with Tai and his nieces. Clover sat next to him the entire time, as he told stories of terrorizing the seagulls, of meeting Clover, of learning to sail. Clover nodded in all the right places and let him talk. Ruby, Yang, and Tai gave stories in return, about Patch and Signal. The conversation washed over him, to the point where he startled when Qrow put a hand on his knee to help ground him.

At one point, while Qrow was recounting one of the times Clover nearly fell overboard, Tai looked over and gave him a questioning look. Clover just shrugged. Seasoned sailors had close calls, too, it wasn’t anything particularly special.

Nevermind that all of those near misses were because he was busy looking at Qrow.

But sunrise didn’t stop for even the most tender of family reunions, and soon they were hugging Qrow goodbye. “Until tomorrow night, yeah?” Yang asked.

“Yeah, firecracker. Tomorrow night. And the one after that. Until—” Qrow looked at Clover.

“As long as you want to stay,” Clover confirmed.

Qrow smiled at him, and as Clover’s heart melted at the sight he began to consider that he might have lost his fight to stay neutral. He’d go find the witch herself if Qrow asked it of him now. “Thanks, Cloves.” And Qrow sighed, leaning his weight into Clover’s side until Clover scooped up the sleeping bird and handed him off to his nieces so he could unfurl the sail again.

“I’ll get us back, shouldn’t take too long.”

Silence followed his statement, and he looked back to find the other three occupants of his boat staring at him. “What?”

“Nothing!” shouted Ruby and Yang at once, before checking that Qrow was asleep. “Nothing,” they said again, only quieter. Tai just smiled.

* * *

He got through a late morning breakfast before Tai asked for his help in the garden, leaving Ruby and Yang to look after Qrow. Tai handed him a bucket and showed him which plants were weeds and which were supposed to be there, and Clover tried to commit the identical leaves to memory. By the time he pulled up the third carrot by mistake, Tai laughed and accepted that Clover, despite his namesake, had no green thumb to speak of, and instead put him to chopping firewood.

“So,” Tai started nonchalantly as Clover lined up another log. “You and Qrow.”

Clover completely missed the log and lodged the axe deep in the stump he was chopping on. “What!? No! I wouldn’t do that to him.”

Tai frowned. “You seem to get along. You’re close. It wasn’t an accusation.”

“Yes it is,” Clover insisted. “And he  _ has _ to be close to me. I’m  _ lucky, _ I’m one of the things that makes the curse weak enough that he can talk to you all. That’s all it is.” That’s all it  _ could _ be.

“Have you asked him?”

Clover yanked the axe out of the stump. Sure, just ask the guy dependent on his luck if he liked him. No pressure there. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

Now Tai just looked incredulous. “Can you hear yourself?”

“Yes.” Clover took a deep breath and thanked his military career for teaching him how to show nothing on his face. “I’m here to help Qrow. I’m going to make sure he can spend time with you until we can find Ozpin, and then we’re going to lift the curse. Then Qrow can come live here again, and I—I’ll go home. It’s not fair to him, otherwise.” He swung down at the log and split it cleanly in half, then moved to grab another. It was simple, methodical work, and helped him keep calm. He could keep this up as long as he had to. He could hide that his heart ached when Qrow smiled, that he’d give anything to keep hearing that voice call him “Cloves.” He’d survive this.

“You really think that’s all you are to him.”

Clover flinched. He had expected anger, but what he got was something softer. Tai didn’t even sound disappointed, he just sounded  _ sad. _ “It’s what I am.” And Tai had nothing to say to that.

He kept taking them out on the ocean, every night, sometimes for longer stretches and sometimes shorter, whatever Qrow was able to manage. Qrow was always next to him, shoulder to shoulder, sometimes with a hand on his own. Whatever Qrow needed, Clover would give.

Clover grew closer to the girls as well. They asked for his version of events and seemed to accept him as part of seeing their uncle, and Clover was grateful. He and Tai never quite got comfortable, after that first morning, but they were able to live together well enough. Coworkers, Clover thought bitterly, not friends. But it was enough that they both wanted to help Qrow.

A week passed like that, and it was almost comfortable. Clover was lying in bed after a short night talking with Qrow, in which Qrow managed to get him to promise they’d teach Ruby and Yang to sail. It felt a little outside his curse-breaking duties, but, well. Qrow had asked.

_ “Um, hello?” _

_ “Greetings, Clover!” _

Clover shouted and rolled out of the bed into a ready stance. Behind him, Qrow squawked in alarm from the bedside table. “Who’s there!?”

The room was empty.

_ “Sorry, I haven’t done this before…” _

_ “You’re doing quite well, Oscar. It seems we’ve made the connection.” _

The second voice was familiar. “Ozpin?” Clover asked the room at large.

_ “Indeed! Now, where have you gotten to? We arrived home just yesterday, but you were out to sea. Word was that you had sailed a ways off. It was quite hard to find you for communication, you know. You seem to be in some sort of magic-confounding field.” _

_ “Um, sir? Can you speed this up?” _ The other voice was much younger, and sounded pained.  _ “They’re pretty far away, this is taking…a lot of magic.” _

“I’m on Patch,” Clover said quickly. “Qrow had some business here and said you might be a while.”

_ “Ah, with Taiyang, then. That explains the interference. Well, I called to tell you we are setting up the library for curse-breaking and will be ready whenever you arrive. I must thank you properly when you get here; we thought Qrow lost.” _

_ “Few more seconds, sir!” _

_ “Right, thank you Oscar. Clover, I trust you will take care of them. Say hello to the girls for me.” _ And just as quickly as it started, the voices vanished.

Clover tried to control his breathing and steady his heart. “Sorry for giving you a scare, Qrow.” He turned and scratched at Qrow’s head. “That was Ozpin. He’s ready for you, we can head back as soon as you want.”

Qrow warbled happily and hopped up to Clover’s shoulder, pressing his head against Clover’s neck. He pulled back and cawed exactly once.

_ One caw means yes, _ Clover remembered Ruby saying. “All right, we’ll head out tomorrow.”

Clover relayed the message to Tai the next morning, and Tai nodded while he pulled a bowl from a closed drawer. “We’re coming back with you.”

“To see Ozpin?”

“Yeah,” Tai grunted as he pulled a huge ball of bread dough from the bowl and began to knead it. “I don’t think the girls want to see him go again. And it could be good to have some blood relations around. Some magic is like that.”

Clover hadn’t thought of that. “Sure. I don’t know if the boat’s really meant for that many people, though.” They all fit for the short trips out at night, but for a multiday voyage there just wasn’t enough space for everyone to sleep.

“We’ll find something. Passenger ships aren’t that hard to come by. Shouldn’t be more than a day behind you.”

Ruby took it particularly hard, that they wouldn’t be able to see Qrow for a few days, but accepted it, and after another heartfelt goodbye Qrow and Clover were sailing back to Vale. Qrow popped into human form the first night for just long enough to pull Clover into a hug.

_ “Thank you,” _ he said emphatically.

Clover hugged him tightly back. “We’ll get you back here soon, no feathers.”

Qrow nodded, scraping his stubble against Clover’s jacket. “I think, I might need to rest for a few nights. I love those kids, but—”

“Those were some long nights, take the rest you need. Ozpin probably needs you at full strength, anyway.”

“Yeah.” And then Qrow was a crow again. One who insisted on huddling in Clover’s jacket. Clover let him, careful to work around him, letting him sleep and absorb as much luck from his aura as possible, if that was even how this worked.

Clover tried not to feel dread as they neared Vale. This was  _ great, _ Qrow was going to be human again, and he was going to go back to Patch and be  _ happy _ and whether it killed Clover to see him go was completely irrelevant.

But when he walked up to Ozpin’s house with Qrow on his shoulder, his feet felt heavy. What if it  _ didn’t _ work? Gods, that…Qrow would be  _ stuck _ with him, if he ever wanted to be with his family again.

Every outcome was going to hurt. Clover took a deep breath, put on his best Atlesian Military face, and knocked on the door.

A child answered it. Not quite a child, he supposed, but quite young. He had large hazel eyes and looked deeply out of place against the fine interior of Ozpin’s cottage in very simple farmhand clothes. “Ah, you must be Clover.”

“I am. Oscar? You’re…Ozpin’s assistant?”

Oscar’s shoulders hunched. “It’s a long story, but yeah, that’s close enough. Come in.”

Clover stepped inside, admiring the clockwork that Ozpin seemed so fond of. “Thanks. So, where’s Ozpin?”

“Right. Hang on.” Oscar closed his eyes and stood there for a solid minute. Clover assumed he was doing that mental “call” again.

But then Oscar opened his eyes, now glowing green, and Ozpin’s voice came out of his mouth. “Hello, Clover.”

“Gah!” Clover flinched back and nearly tripped on an ottoman. Qrow, for his part, flew from his perch and went to sit on the grandfather clock against the wall. He did that bird cackling noise again.

Clover put the pieces together. “You  _ knew!?” _

Qrow laughed harder.

Oscar—no,  _ Ozpin— _ quirked an eyebrow. “Qrow was aware that this was a…possibility, but I do not think he knew directly that I had reincarnated, no.”

_ Magic. _ Clover shook his head. He was never going to fully understand it. “I guess…good to have you back, Ozpin? Oscar? Which do you prefer?”

“We are separate people,” Ozpin explained. “Though that might change over time. Regardless, Oscar has proved an excellent study and will be able to help perform the necessary spells. If you could both follow me?”

As with the last time Clover had been here, Ozpin’s house made no natural sense. The outside of it was barely larger than Clover’s one-room home, but after taking the door at the back of the front room, the second door on the right, and then the third door on the left, they were in a library that would have been at home in a grand palace. Books lined the walls in shelves that stretched to the ceilings high above them. In the center of the room a large circle of silver had been laid into the floor. It all looked quite arcane, except for a very ordinary looking jam jar sat next to the circle.

“Qrow, here please.” Ozpin gestured to the center of the circle, and Qrow alighted there. “Clover, do you have some spare clothes for him?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

“Good. In the circle as well. Qrow might have to be in there for some time.”

Clover did as asked, and Ozpin moved to kneel at the edge of the circle, hands tracing the metal reverently. He also unscrewed the top of the jam jar and set it open beside him.

“Alright, Oscar,” Ozpin said quietly to himself—to Oscar, Clover realized. “Just as we practiced.”

The circle flashed with green light and the air felt charged, like the feeling of a coming rainstorm. The light from the circle stretched high above his head like a wall. Qrow was still visible through it, but the image wavered, like a mirage. Patterns in a lighter green spiraled around along the barrier between them, circular scrawl in a language Clover had never seen.

“It’s her,” Ozpin muttered, then spoke more loudly. “Might want to settle in, Clover. This could take some time to unravel. Feel free to peruse the library.”

Clover did, briefly, before finding that everything about magic was beyond his understanding, and everything not about magic didn’t capture his attention enough for him to not look back at the crow in Ozpin’s circle. He eventually gave up and pulled a reading chair closer to the circle, settling in as asked.

Eventually, there was an “Aha!” from Ozpin, and suddenly Qrow was human, on land, inside, during the day, and further away from Clover than he’d been in weeks.

“You did it!” Clover jumped out of his seat.

“Not yet.” Oscar spoke this time. “This is temporary, but I thought it would be more comfortable while we looked through the rest.”

“Appreciated,” Qrow said while putting on pants. “It was getting kinda claustrophobic. Birds aren’t really used to walls and a roof. What do you have so far?”

Oscar’s eyes glowed green again, signaling Ozpin. “She’s anchored the shapeshifting to your name, which is easy enough. Shapeshifting has been a common curse since before my time. But it’s the misfortune that is the more complex piece.”

“Get to the breaking part,” Qrow grumbled.

Ozpin frowned. “That’s the thing. It’s not a curse, in the traditional sense. More of an alteration. Curses are a layer on top of what something already is. Clover’s good fortune is a layer on top of his own, natural interactions with fate. But this  _ damaged _ those pathways. Many of them are simply gone. And the curse took their place.”

“Then  _ take it out,” _ Qrow hissed.

“You underestimate the depth of the changes. That would kill you. But…” Ozpin turned to look at Clover. “There is a possibility they could be replaced. Your natural luck, as it were, would be restored, and the curse could be safely removed.”

“Do it. Anything.”

Ozpin kept looking at Clover and Clover didn’t understand why. What could replace— _ oh. _

“You have already gone above and beyond, Clover,” Ozpin said carefully. “I wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t—”

“Take it.” It wasn’t even a question. Clover had been average-lucky for most of his life, for all of his time with Qrow even, and it was worth it for every minute. He’d give up luck if it meant he could have—if it meant Qrow could go home. If Qrow could be human again. In a way, he’d be looking out for Qrow even after he left. That was nice to think about.

Qrow stared at him. “Clover, you said that luck saved your life.”

Clover shrugged. “I got better. It’s done enough good for me. Ozpin, how do we do this?”

Ozpin gestured, and like parting a waterfall the green light opened to admit him. “Step in. Quickly, if you would.”

Clover walked in, careful not to step on the circle itself. Qrow moved directly in front of him. “What if it happens again?”

“I don’t go fighting sea dragons for fun. And if it does, I’ll have the same odds as anyone else. Qrow,  _ you’ll be able to go home. _ That’s worth so much more.”

“Clover, you—”

Clover let himself speak before he could think better of it. “It’s worth it, for you.”

“Clover, how did you receive the blessing?” Ozpin said. His voice echoed strangely, as if he was speaking from the other side of a cave. “The mechanism I’m seeing is quite unique. The transfer process should be similar to when it was first given to you.”

“They—uh.” Oh no. This was too much. “They kissed me, actually.”

Ozpin nodded. “When you’re ready then, gentlemen.”

What was that supposed to mean? He was supposed to  _ kiss _ Qrow? Just like that? He’d been careful, he’d tried to give Qrow space, failed  _ miserably _ at keeping his own feelings under control, and now  _ this— _

“Clover.” Qrow’s voice was low,  _ dangerous _ in a way Clover had never heard before. “Did you mean it.”

Clover felt like he was falling. “Mean what?”

“Am I worth it? Are you sure?”

His tongue was still faster than his judgement, and Clover found he couldn’t stop talking.  _ “Yes. _ I didn’t want to put you in this position, I’ll do it no matter what, but you’re—you’re important to me. Qrow, I lo—”

Qrow grabbed him by his jacket and kissed him full on the mouth.

There were sparks. Literal sparks. That heaviness in the air finally asserted itself, and even as his eyes closed Clover saw arcs of green and red dance around them, but that was all he noticed because he was  _ kissing Qrow, _ and there wasn’t space in his mind for anything else.

Ozpin shouted somewhere far away. Clover couldn’t have cared less.

Clover’s arms wrapped around Qrow, holding him close, crushing him to his chest as if that would be enough to make him stay. He wanted this moment to last, one more second, one more minute, one more lifetime.

_ Please stay, _ he tried to say with his hands and his lips and his heart.  _ Or take me with you. But please don’t leave me. _

“Got it!”

Reluctantly, Clover let Qrow break the kiss to look towards Oscar. The green curtain of light had fallen, the circle of silver in the floor dull and unassuming. Oscar was on the floor leaning against a shelf, where a number of books had fallen on his head, Clover suspected on impact. But he was smiling and holding up the jam jar. Something black and purple inside it swirled menacingly. “That’s the curse,” Oscar explained. “The circle’s down, Qrow. You should be clear now.”

Qrow’s eyes widened, then he took a step back from Clover and touched his own chest, his arms, his hair. “Stay there, Cloves.” He darted down a row of shelves, one Clover-boat-length, then two. He stood there for a moment, looking his body over. Then he let out a whoop so loud it echoed across the library, and careened back into Clover’s arms for a second kiss.

Clover let himself enjoy it for a moment before he knew he had to break away. “Qrow, what—you don’t have to—”

“How are you this  _ dense,” _ Qrow said, exasperated. “I sleep in your jacket. I’ve  _ literally climbed into your lap. _ I have more nicknames for you than I do for Ruby. I spent  _ every night  _ with you.”

“You had to!”

“You brought me to Ozpin’s house on day two, I could have waited for him if I didn’t want to see you.” Qrow rolled his eyes. “Cloves,  _ you took me to see my family again. _ They love you too, by the way. Ruby and Yang approve.”

“They…” Clover blinked. “You…love me?”

“I’ve been in love with you  _ the entire godsdamned time, _ Cloves.”

“Oh.”  _ Oh. _ Clover opened his mouth several times to say something, and found his previous glibness had utterly abandoned him. “That’s…good? Qrow, are you sure this isn’t—”

Qrow groaned and kissed him a third time instead.  _ “Cloves. _ Just because you were  _ helping _ doesn’t mean you couldn’t be  _ wanted. _ I don’t  _ owe _ you this, I’m giving it.” Suddenly, Qrow pulled away and looked suddenly cautious. “That is. If you want it. It seemed like—”

“I do.  _ Gods, _ Qrow, I do.”

Qrow smirked, confident once more and Clover loved that, loved  _ Qrow. _ “Good. Now get back here.”

He pulled Clover in for a fourth time and this time, Clover kissed back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic started when I was thinking about curses and finally wrapped up after I saw [this excellent art](https://yuli-the-bi.tumblr.com/post/621364083173769216/mayhaps-a-deleted-scene) which a) introduced me to the NEWSFLASH ASSHOLE meme and 2) gave me a Goal to End this Fic with It. Thank you for reading my longest shitpost to date!
> 
> (There should probably be a family reunion epilogue, to be written when I am in a soft mood once again.)


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have been writing some heavy Ironwood Rehabilitation Fic and needed a break, have a late-breaking soft epilogue.

A ship arrived in Vale the next day. Clover and Qrow held hands on the dock and watched it come in.

Ozpin had some clothes Qrow could wear that he didn’t look like he was swimming in, all in a deep green edged with gold. He looked good. A real night of sleep and a hot bath had done wonders. Clover loved the way his eyes looked even lighter in the sunlight, the way the threads of grey in his hair gave it texture.

“Something wrong with my hair, Cloves?”

Clover kissed just behind his ear. “No, it’s perfect.”

_“Uncle Qrow!”_

Ruby waved frantically from the ship and looked like she was considering jumping overboard to try and get there faster. Tai had a hand on her shoulder to stop her. Yang was looking directly at Clover.

“Qrow, why is your niece looking at me like she knows something I don’t?”

Qrow just laughed and squeezed his hand.

The ship got about halfway through docking before the two girls _leapt off the back_ and rolled onto the dock. Tai followed after, less rushed but no less skilled. Tai was only carrying a simple pack, Clover noticed, but Ruby also had some large red contraption slung over her back, and Yang was wearing a pair of bright yellow gauntlets.

“Seriously, is everyone in your family a fighter?”

Qrow raised an eyebrow. “Cloves, we’re—”

That was as far as he got before his family nearly knocked him to the ground.

“You’re _here,_ you’re—wait.” Ruby looked to their entwined hands. “Are you uncursed or is Clover…”

“He’s uncursed,” Clover said.

“Clover kissed me and I got better,” Qrow said at the same time.

“Qrow!”

Qrow shrugged, but couldn’t keep the smirk off his face. “It’s true.”

“Oh thank the gods,” Tai muttered under his breath.

“Congrats!” Yang looked horribly smug.

Ruby elbowed her uncle. “Finally got through to him, huh?”

“Yup.” Qrow pulled her in for a second hug. “We can explain on the way over, Ozpin’s offered to house and feed you all for a bit. Long story short, Clover kissed a fish for good luck, then kissed _me_ to remove my bad luck, now we’re all square and just kiss for fun.”

Clover took all his pre-prepared explanations and threw them into the ocean. He looked at Tai. “Something like that. Sorry for…for what I said. About it not mattering. I was wrong.”

“Clearly,” Tai said, but he smiled. “Glad you worked it out. Eventually.”

They walked to Ozpin’s house as a group. Everyone wanted to walk next to Qrow, and Qrow walked slowly to begin with, so it was a much longer walk back than it had been coming out. But Ruby, Yang, and Tai seemed happy to just be walking on solid ground again, and to be able to catch up with Qrow even more.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Ruby said. “Now that you’re back, we should make a new Harbinger! I’ve been upgrading Crescent Rose for years now, I bet I could help!”

“Sure thing, kiddo. Think you can get us into Signal’s workshops?”

“What’s a...Harbinger?” Clover asked.

“Oh right.” Qrow’s lips twitched into a smile. “You did ask about combat training. The whole family is licensed hunters. Wait,” he turned to his nieces. “You two got licensed, right?”

“Yup!” Yang said, and pulled a medallion from her pocket. Ruby flashed a similar one. “Legally allowed to carry dust-enchanted weapons and everything.” She curled her hands into fists and punched the air. Bursts of yellow light shot from her knuckles.

Clover just stared.

“That’s…not gonna be a problem, is it, Cloves?” Qrow looked almost worried.

“No! No, it’s fine. I'm licensed as well.” There was something Clover was right on the edge of figuring out. Qrow was a hunter. Tai was a hunter. Qrow knew Ozpin. Qrow had either been to Atlas or just met a few Atlesians, one of whom was named—“James Ironwood,” he blurted.

“Oh, you know Jimmy, too?”

 _Jimmy._ Qrow knew the General of the Atlesian army and _called him Jimmy._

“Wait.” Qrow stopped walking. “Is that why Ice Queen came by to talk to you? That was her, right?”

“Ice—you mean _Winter Schnee?”_

“Oh, you know the Schnees too?” Ruby smiled. “Weiss was one of our classmates, we’re good friends!”

“How…” Clover shook his head, laughing. “How did we not meet before? I worked for James for over a decade.”

“That’s probably why.” Qrow smirked at him again. “Never much liked Jimmy. Can’t say I spent much time in Atlas. Too uptight for me, always so concerned with _rules_ and what’s _proper._ Probably wouldn’t know a good time if it _flew into his lap.”_

Oh no.

“In fact,” Qrow drawled. “Jimmy’s such a tightass that probably, if a guy were to say, constantly cuddle him under the moonlight—”

“I get it, Qrow.”

“—And tell him how great he was, even _get into his clothes—”_

“Qrow!”

Yang made a face. “Are you two always gonna be like this? I think I liked it more when Clover was trying to protect your virtue.”

“That wasn’t what happened!” Clover looked around for someone to back him up. Ruby just giggled. Tai turned away with a sly grin. “Tai, you know why I didn’t say anything!”

Tai shrugged. “Frankly, you deserve a bit of this. I’ll back you up if he’s still doing it next week.”

Clover sighed. He supposed he did.

“Hey.” Qrow bumped his shoulder before sliding an arm around his waist. “You alright?”

“I…” Clover laughed. “I guess I feel a bit stupid for being the last one to know.”

“You got to it eventually.” Qrow kissed his cheek.

Clover tripped.

The dirt path to Ozpin’s house was fairly rough, and his foot didn’t quite clear a divot in the ground. The sensation was so sudden he gasped in surprise as he fell, only to be stopped by a pair of firm hands.

“Watch yourself, Cloves.” Qrow hauled him back up to standing and pretended to smooth out his jacket before lacing their hands together again.

Clover was still stunned. “I haven’t actually tripped on anything since…”

Qrow’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh. Right, your luck.”

They stood quietly for a moment. Qrow gripped his hand tighter.

“I—”

“Good thing you caught me, huh?” Clover winked. “Seems like I’ve still got a bit of luck on my side.”

Qrow’s mouth dropped open, just a bit, and Clover couldn’t find a good reason not to kiss him. “Worth it, remember?” Clover said more quietly.

Qrow’s smile was small and soft and just for him, and Clover swore he would spend the rest of his life finding more reasons for Qrow to smile like that.

“Would you two hurry up? We’ll eat without you if we have to!” The other three had gotten a ways ahead of them. Yang was turned around to shout at them.

Ruby followed suit. “Kiss later! Lunch now!”

“I can multitask!” Qrow shouted back, earning a groan. He turned to Clover. “But we should catch up. There won’t be anything left if we let them start without us.”

Clover snuck in one more kiss, and they walked hand in hand towards the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also featured: wrapping up loose ends like the fact that Qrow mentions "Jimmy" in Clover's presence and Clover, the jock in this jock/goth relationship, doesn't have the kind of paranoia required to immediately put two and two together.


End file.
